Shadowmaster (episode)
Shadowmaster is an episode from the original series of ThunderCats. Written by Dennis J. Woodyard, it originally aired on September 22, 1989. Story The episode starts with the introduction of a new character, the Shadowmaster, an ancient megalomaniacal Thunderian wizard who was banished for all eternity to the Shadow Realm by Jaga and Claudus. The Shadowmaster contacts the Ancient Spirits of Evil and offers to destroy the ThunderCats if they will free him from his eternal prison in return. The spirits agree, much to the chagrin of Mumm-Ra who sees the Shadowmaster as a competitor who could very well replace him as the Ancient Spirits’ main pet. The Shadowmaster had captured Claudus just before the destruction of Thundera and uses him as bait to lure Lion-O into the Shadow Realm. Following Jaga’s instructions, Lion-O uses the Eye of Thundera to project him through the Book of Omens and into the Shadow Realm. Snarf stands guard to ensure that the book and the sword are not separated or else Lion-O will grow extremely weak and remain stuck in the Shadow Realm forever. In the Shadow Realm, Lion-O, who strangely chose not to take the Claw Shield with him, is forced to fight the Shadowmaster’s conjured beast using flint rocks. Back at Cats Lair, the Shadowmaster’s Shadowbat steals the Sword of Omens with Snarf still hanging onto it and flies away. With the connection between the sword and the book broken, Lion-O loses his strength and falls to the ground. Just when all seems lost, help arrives from the unlikeliest of places. Mumm-Ra, who has quietly been observing the proceedings in his cauldron, secretly sends Ma-Mutt to throw a wrench into the works. Changing into a giant bat, Ma-Mutt destroys the Shadowbat and carries Snarf and the sword back to the Cats Lair where Snarf quickly reconnects the sword with the Book of Omens. Having regained his strength, Lion-O calls the Sword of Omens to him and he and Claudus use it to trap the Shadowmaster in the ruins of his fortress while they make their daring escape. The father-son reunion, while very short-lived, is gratifying for the audience as well as Lion-O. Unlike the ending of “Return to Thundera” where Claudus is presumed to have died, leaving Lion-O with a lot of sadness, here his departure is a happy one as he goes on to join Jaga in the spirit world. Characters Locations Notable quotes Claudus: Farewell Lion-O Lord of the Thundercats. You've made your father a proud man. Panthro: But Lion-O, this could be a trap. Shadowmaster: Listen to me Ancient Sprits of Evil. I can do what this miserable mummy has failed to do that is defeat the Thundercats. Mumm-Ra: What? You dare insult Mumm-Ra the ever-living. Ancient Spirits of Evil: Stay your hand Mumm-Ra let the Shadowmaster speak. Shadowmaster: Thank You great spirits. Trivia *At the end of “Return to Thundera”, Lion-O remembers Claudus and says, “May we meet again somewhere in time”. This episode grants Lion-O’s wish and reunites him with his father. *The scene near the end of both Jaga and Claudus’ spirits standing side by side is an obvious nod to “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” in which the spirits of Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker are similarly seen standing side by side at the end. Goofs *In this episode we get to see a younger Claudus who has a red mane, similar to his son Lion-O. The older Claudus shown in the episode “Return to Thundera” had yellow hair. *Strangely, Snarf fails to recognize Ma-Mutt. Even though the demon dog is in his Ma-Bat form, his face is still that of Ma-Mutt and clearly visible to Snarf. Episode Screenshots External Links *The Shadowmaster on IMDb *ThunderCats 1985 cartoon series on Wikipedia *ThunderCats on ThunderCats.org Category:Thundercats: 1980s TV episodes Category:ThunderCats episodes written by Dennis J. Woodyard Category:Season 4 (ThunderCats 1980s)